Ubisoft explains how digital prices are set on PlayStation Store and Xbox Games Store

Prices may not always be identical on both network, Ubi warns.

Ubisoft has explained how digital prices are set on both PlayStation Store and Xbox Games Store, revealing that the cost of digital titles may not be identical across the two networks because of individual "pricing matrices" set by Sony and Microsoft.

"Both Microsoft and Sony provide pricing matrices for games sold digitally via their respective services, similar to the way tiered wholesale pricing works on Apple's iTunes," said Ubisoft in a statement provided to VideoGamer.com this afternoon while responding to concerns over price differentiation between the PS4 store and Xbox One store.

"Developers, including Ubisoft, then select a wholesale price within those tiers that best corresponds to our expectations of the games' overall value and market potential. However, the final retail prices are determined by the vendor.

"Also, because those two matrices are not identical the resulting prices on the two online services don’t always align. We’re aware this is potentially confusing for customers and are looking into what can be done."

Ubisoft reduced the price of its two digital PS4 titles – Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and Just Dance 2014 – on PlayStation Store earlier this afternoon, bringing them in line with the prices on Xbox Games Store.

EA did the same, further reducing the cost of its digital library to match the prices on Xbox One. The average price for digital AAA third-party prices now appears to have settled at £54.99 on both consoles, although first-party digital titles currently cost slightly more on PS4.

User Comments

So basically Microsoft and Sony as vendors have a set amount of profit they want to make on each title and everyone that wants to sell through them can suck it. The only way to reduce the prices is if the developer/publisher takes less of a cut.

I don't know about anybody else but I don't see the appeal of buying a game for £54.99 digital when I can probably shop around and get a physical copy (which, most importantly, I can re-sell if I so choose) for less than £54.99.

The idea of a digital-only gaming world will make more sense when 1) pricing resembles something more like Steam and 2) our internet connections can deal with 50GB downloads very quickly.

I understand that the whole costing more than retail is partly due to the platform holders and publishers wanting to keep the retailers happy, but they're going to have to think of something if they want this thing to take off.

Some people say it isn't retail and that it's just the publishers etc. being greedy but I saw Ace Attorney Dual Destinies on 3DS eShop for £18 (whereas it would've most definitely been £34.99 at retail and this is CAPCOM!!!@@!!!) so it makes you wonder if things could change for the better in the future.